Episode Summary
Zhuang Qifeng returns to find Zhou Mi dead and learns his family was also killed, vowing to name his own future child in their honor. He distributes grain to the villagers and helps them rebuild, solidifying local support by reducing rent and interest. In a clever operation, he lets the enemy harvest the wheat before his forces snatch it all, leaving the city's troops to starve. Finally, he launches a successful harassment campaign using firecrackers, laxatives, and smoke to demoralize the enemy and capture five of their strongholds.
Spoiler Alert
A Heavy Loss and a Vow
Zhuang Qifeng finally makes it back with the grain. But he's too late. He finds Zhou Mi has already died. Zhuang Qifeng just breaks down completely. It’s a tough scene to watch.
Then the news gets even worse. Da Liu tells him that Zhou Mi’s wife and child were captured during a sweep. They were both killed. The child’s name was "Liming," which means "Dawn." Zhuang Qifeng is hit hard by this. He declares that if he ever has a child, he will also name them Liming. He wants the name to light up the darkness and bring sunlight to their land.
Winning Hearts and Minds
After the burials, they get the grain back to the base. Zhuang Qifeng distributes it to the starving villagers. He tells them to hold on until the summer harvest, and then they can repay the Eighth Route Army.
With the immediate food crisis over, he doesn't stop. He leads his soldiers to help the villagers repair their homes and plow their fields. He also gets them organized. He sets up self-defense militias, children's groups, and women's rescue associations.Some villagers who just returned to Lü Family Village see all this and are moved to tears.
Later, in a meeting, Zhuang Qifeng shares what he learned in Dawang Village. He explains that reducing rent and interest is the key.If you actually improve people's lives, you win their genuine support. Only then will the organizations and work have a real foundation. His strategy works. They start pushing back effectively, using raids and propaganda to drive out enemies in the Gucheng area. The farmers' lives improve, and they become much more willing to contribute grain to the cause.
The Great Grain Heist
Now, it's time for the wheat harvest. This is where things get interesting.
Zhuang Qifeng has a plan to secure the food. The puppet army comes out of the city to start harvesting. They immediately run into landmines and sniper fire. Their commander, Xiaolin, gets spooked and orders his men to stop and wait for the cover of night.
This is exactly what Zhuang Qifeng wanted. He waits patiently while the puppet army does all the hard work of cutting the wheat. Once they're done, he gives the signal. His soldiers and the villagers charge out together. They use smoke to blind the enemy soldiers. While the army provides cover fire, the villagers rush in, grab all the harvested grain, and haul it away to a safe place.
The next morning, Xiaolin looks out from the city walls. He sees nothing but empty fields. He is furious. He has to request a withdrawal from his superior, Satoshi Yamashita. With the grain gone and their supply lines cut, the Japanese and puppet troops in the city are facing starvation.
Yamashita approves the retreat but wants it done quietly. He sends another officer, Ono, with two squads to help. We also learn that the Pacific War has started, so another commander, Murata, is too busy to be bothered. Yamashita decides not to report this failure to him.
A Campaign of Annoyance
Zhuang Qifeng is feeling good about their victory. He decides to return all the excess grain tax that the people paid. His own officers are confused by this. He has to explain that this move is about building long-term trust with the people.
Then, he starts a new phase of the fight. He begins a campaign of constant harassment against the Japanese-occupied villages. Every night, his soldiers sneak up to the enemy strongholds and set off firecrackers. The noise sounds like gunfire, keeping the Japanese and puppet soldiers on edge and unable to sleep. After a while, the enemy gets used to the nightly "attacks" and lets their guard down.
He also has his men put laxatives in the enemy's drinking water sources. This forces the puppet soldiers to leave the stronghold to find clean water. But Zhuang Qifeng has mined the areas around the water sources. The soldiers even get attacked while trying to empty the latrine buckets. It's miserable for them.
That night, his soldiers pile up firewood outside the stronghold walls and set it on fire. The thick smoke billows into the fort, choking the soldiers inside and forcing them to rush out. Through this combination of non-stop harassment, they manage to take down five enemy strongholds in a very short time.
